Stocks (1882-1937) was educated at Rugby and Corpus Christi College, Oxford. He was fellow and tutor of St John's College, Oxford (1906-24), professor of philosophy in the University of Manchester from 1924, and vice-chancellor of Liverpool University (1937). He was actively interested in politics, and unsuccessfully stood as a Labour candidate for the University of Oxford at the general election of 1935.
See list of letters .